


Brunch is for Lovers

by BazineApologist



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Bazine Apologist, Bazine Netal: Unicorn Hunter, Bisexual Rey (Star Wars), Botched Threesome, Brunch, Committed FinnRose, Extra-relationship flirting, F/F, F/M, Is flirting infidelity?, Many mentions of past/other partners, Multi, Planned Threesome, Polyamorous Poe, Reylo endgame, Self-Loathing Kylo, Threesome - F/F/M, endgame reylo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-08 20:16:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15937502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BazineApologist/pseuds/BazineApologist
Summary: Rey spends most Sunday mornings waitressing for Bazine Netal and her friends at their favorite weekly brunch spot. Blame it on the bottomless mimosas, but this Sunday is the first time Bazine has ever propositioned Rey to join her and her boyfriend Kylo Ren in the bedroom... Rey has never met Kylo, but Bazine is pretty hot, and everyone should have a threesome once in their life, right? What could possibly go wrong?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first foray into writing fanfiction. Eek!
> 
> Unbeta’d because where do you even get one?

Rey was lazily scrolling through her Twitter timeline and chewing her off-brand   
Lucky Charms when her eyes drifted to the top of her phone screen. _Damn it_ , she thought to herself, noticing the time, _late again_. 

She dropped her bowl in the sink of the tiny apartment she shared, and ran some water over it. She briefly noted a rather crusty pot and spoon already sitting in the sink from the night before, dishes she had promised Finn she’d clean this morning. Out of necessity, she pushed away whatever guilt she felt over breaking her promise to her roommate in favor of running out the door. 

She would absolutely clean the dishes tonight! Tomorrow morning at the very latest.

Finn would understand...

If she texted Finn and explained the situation he would definitely understand… probably… hopefully. 

_God, I’m a shitty roommate,_ she thought.

In addition to being a shitty roommate, though, Rey was also a very tardy employee. So she grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder while slipping on her shoes. She picked up her helmet, dashing out the door and down to the bike rack four floors below. 

If she peddled quickly, she could still get to work on time. No more than 15 minutes late. 20 at the very latest. Maz would understand…

—

Rey sprinted through the employee entrance of Takodano just 15 minutes before the restaurant opened, a good 15 minutes _after_ her shift was supposed to begin. 

“I see you, Johnson,” Maz called out as Rey tried to slip surreptitiously to her station. 

Rey flinched, but Maz just laughed. “I’d tell you not to make a habit of it, but it obviously already is one. So break the habit!” Maz told her, tone commanding. The older woman’s eyes sparkled with good humor, somewhat lessening the severity of the threat. 

Rey’s stomach twisted with guilt, anyway. Maz was too kind. She deserved better. Rey vowed that tomorrow she would get her shit together.

She tied on her apron and quickly checked her appearance in a piece of particularly reflective cookware. Her vigorous bike ride had left her a little sweaty and smeared, and while Rey hated fussing with things like eyeliner and lip color, she knew the tips were better if she put forth a little effort in that direction. 

Fifteen minutes later, Rey plastered a lip-tinted smile on her face and walked over to her first table of the morning.

—

When Bazine Netal and her gaggle of equally well-put together friends glided through Takodano’s door a couple of hours into Fey’s shift, Rey rushed over to the hostess stand and whispered in Connix’s ear, “Put them in my section, on the patio. I’ll make it worth your while.” 

Connix glanced at Rey, who winked at her suggestively. Connix just rolled her eyes. 

The two women had worked together long enough for Connix to know Rey didn’t really mean anything by her flirty phrasing and wink. 

Or, at least, if Rey meant anything (which she sort it did. Connix had that whole sexy, sleepy-eyed thing going), they both knew Connix would never take Rey up on her offer because she was happily heterosexual and in a monogamous relationship. 

Rey, on the other hand, was very open to whatever experiences life had to offer her. Some people might see a connection between Rey’s shitty childhood and her current “promiscuity,” but as far as Rey was concerned those people sucked. 

Daddy issues or, more accurately, parental issues, had nothing to do with Rey’s sexual interests. She was just young, attractive, and liberated. How could she know whether or not she liked something (or someone) unless she tried it (or them)?

Rey’s interest in Bazine, however, had nothing to do with her sexual liberation. It was strictly financial. 

Bazine and her friends came in every Sunday morning to engage in a ritual of bottomless mimosas and humblebragging, and they always left a huge tip. Whether it was the mild intoxication loosening their purse strings, or a desire to one up one another with how casually they could spend, Rey didn’t care. Money was money, and it would pay rent or a cover charge whether it came from true generosity or performative wealth. 

Despite Connix’s eye roll, she still sat Bazine and her friends in Rey’s section. Rey blew Connix a kiss and headed over to take orders from the impressively sartorial table. 

As Rey walked up, she overhead the women talking.

“I just get the feeling he’s losing interest,” Bazine practically whined to her friends. “But he CAN’T break up with me! Not before Armitage’s engagement party. I have to keep him interested for at least another few weeks. That party will open so many doors for me, professionally and socially. I’ve already ordered a dress!”

“And also because, you know, you like him and don’t want to lose him?” asked one of her friends.

“Ugh! Of course! That was implied!”

Rey held back, not wanting to interrupt such a personal conversation. 

“Have you thought about, I don’t know, spicing things up in the bedroom?” a woman with the most beautiful skin Rey had ever seen asked quietly. Rey noticed how little her features moved when she spoke and wondered idly if the smoothness and clarity of her skin had to do with something other than nature. Maybe something injected into the woman’s skin via syringe?

“I’m not a prude!” Bazine cried defensively. “We’ve done pretty much everything two people can do!”

“Well… have you thought about doing it with more than two people?” queried a pretty redhead through an embarrassed blush.

“What, you mean offering Kylo a threesome?”

“...yeah?” the redhead responded, sounding less than sure of herself.

“Hm,” Bazine huffed, but Rey could see her thinking.

Rey saw an opening in the momentary quiet and walked over, shuffling loudly to give them plenty of warning of her approach. She took their orders and dashed over to the bar to put in the drink order and to the kitchen for the food.

Rey had to attend to a few of her other tables before returning to the women with a tray full of mimosas and one Bloody Mary.

“But how do you even find someone for that?” Bazine asked incredulously as Rey distributed drinks. She took her tray and walked over to the patio register to run another table’s check, continuing to eavesdrop on the women.

“I think people usually use an app or post an ad on a website,” a woman Rey had affectionately nicknamed Dry Bar Barbie stated. 

“Oh god, can you imagine? ‘Bombshell headhunter and sexy CFO looking for a unicorn?’ Kylo would kill me if anyone ever saw it. He’s so private. It took four months before he agreed to meet my friends, and even longer for him to take me as his date to an event!”

“Bombshell?” the Botox-enthusiast scoffed.

“I really can’t imagine why your job titles would be relevant,” Dry Bar Barbie bristled.

“Well… if you’re looking for discretion, I think you could approach people in person about becoming a third. Friends or… whatever…” the redhead supplied, helpfully.

“None of you are having sex with Kylo!” Bazine all but shrieked at the women.

They all looked at her with varying levels of disdain. “I didn’t mean any of us,” stated the redhead. “Can’t you think of any other friends or acquaintances you could ask. Someone bi, obviously, and… fun?”

“Fun?”

“Young? Casual? Open?”

“Why would I know anyone like that?” Bazine whined again. 

Rey realized she couldn’t possibly take any longer on this check without raising suspicions and losing tips, so she quickly got back to work, laughing silently at the uptight, overdone, and undersexed woman.

She came back a little while later weighed down with avocado toast, various trendy bowls, and an order of gluten-free vegan Eggs Benedict that seemed to defy the laws of nature and reason. 

As she set the food in front of the women, Botox-enthusiast gave her a scrutinizing once-over. 

Rey was suddenly hyper-aware of her appearance in that moment. Her black shorts suddenly felt too short beneath her apron. Her black Takodana-branded tee too tight across her modestly-sized chest. Her messy bun too messy, in contrast to the artfully deconstructed hair of the women at the table.

“Hey, Rey…” started Botox, surprising Rey by knowing her name. But then again, they had been coming here every week for about a year, and Rey had introduced herself every time she waited on them. “You’re...fun,” Botox continued, “or at least you know… fun… people.”

“Fun women,” Barbie corrected, looking at Bazine for confirmation.

“Women, definitely women,” Bazine agreed.

Rey felt her cheeks heat up. “I guess so,” she replied.

“Are you seeing anyone right now? A man? Or a woman?” the redhead asked her with interest.

“I don’t really do relationships,” Rey replied with an uncharacteristic flush of embarrassment. Where was this coming from? She was usually so shameless!

She looked to Bazine, whose eyes were tracking over Rey’s fit form before moving up to study her face. When Bazine was done with her examination, she gave a tiny nod to Botox and a smirk played at the corner of her mouth.

“Oh?” Bazine asked. Rey swore she was smiling seductively at her. “But you date?”

“Y-yes.”

“Men? Women?” 

“Both.” Rey replied and then coughed uncomfortably.

“Hm.”

—

After the awkwardness she experienced while delivering Bazine’s table their food, Rey kept her interactions with the women as quick and efficient as possible. 

Once, while checking on another table, Rey’s pencil slipped out of her apron pocket, and she bent to pick it up. When she returned to being upright she caught the table of woman scrutinizing her ass. 

Rey couldn’t decide if she was more embarrassed, more flattered, or more intrigued by their attention. 

The third option caught Rey off guard. But as superficial and materialistic as Bazine appeared to Rey, she was also undeniably… hot.

Even at work, Rey kept her makeup pretty simple. A sharp flick of eyeliner, one coat of mascara, and a long wearing lip tint to eliminate the need for any kind of maintenance or reapplication during a long shift. 

Bazine, on the other wand, clearly viewed makeup as art. Her application was dramatic, for sure, but it wasn’t caked on. Her hair was always shiny and smooth. Her clothes perfectly tailored and pressed. She drank her mimosas carefully through a straw to avoid smudging her dark lip color. She looked like she had her life together.

And for Rey, who arrived everywhere late, left her dirty dishes in the sink for a week sometimes, and had a bicycle she bought off Craigslist as her primary means of transportation, someone who looked like they had their life together held a lot of appeal. And two someones? A couple? Well, Rey was _definitely_ intrigued. 

She’d never had a threesome before. But it seemed like something someone as confident in her sexuality as Rey should experience at least once in her life, right?

Rey was decided. 

The last time she went over to Bazine’s table, to return her clearly well-used credit card and give her a copy of her receipt, Rey made sure to hand her the receipt directly. She drew Bazine’s attention to the phone number scribbled at the bottom and told her with a wink, “For you and your boyfriend, in case you’re looking for someone… fun.”

 

—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of Kylo in this chapter. He makes an appearance next chapter. Promise!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn, Rose, and Poe all try to talk some sense into Rey.
> 
> Rey meets a sexy stranger at the bar.

As Rey was locking her bike onto the rack outside of her apartment, her phone buzzed. She froze. _Oh god. What if it was Bazine?_ she thought. What if she was texting to ask Rey to come over _tonight_? 

Rey’s mind raced, her dominant emotion a war between nerves and excitement. 

With a deep breath she dug her phone out of her bag and looked down at the screen. As she read the message and couldn’t hold back a loud bark of laughter.

It was from Finn. He had just sent her a photo of their apartment sink, overflowing with her still-dirty dishes. The only commentary accompanying the photo was a single frowny face emoji.

Rey continued laughing as she ran up the stairs, two at a time. She was slightly out of breath by the time she reached her floor and threw the apartment door open. 

Finn was sitting on their couch with his arm around his girlfriend, Rose, but when he heard the door fly open and saw an out-of-breath Rey panting behind it, he immediately paused their show, stood up, and came to stand before her with his hands on his hips and a scolding look on his face. “Rey, you promised.”

“Hi Rose!” Rey called brightly as she pushed past Finn. 

“Hey Rey! How was work?”

“Oh god, I have so much to tell you-”

“Rey!” came Finn’s voice again, interrupting. “We need to talk about this! It smells! We’ll get roaches! What do I need to do to get you to clean a dish?!” 

Rey finally acknowledged him and had to suppress a snigger as she took in his schoolmarm expression. She considered his question. 

“Come out with me this weekend.” 

Finn paused for a moment and glanced over at Rose like he was looking to her for permission. Rey told herself not to roll her eyes. _Is that what being in a relationship was like? Asking permission to go out and get tipsy with your best friend?_ “Both of you,” Rey added.

“Okay…” Finn replied when Rose smiled sweetly up at him. “But only if you clean all of your dishes, all week, as soon as you dirty them!”

“I want a twelve hour grace period and you buy the first round,” Rey countered.

“Three hour grace period and you do the dishes in the sink right now, before we’re overrun with vermin.”

“Okay, _Mom_ ” Rey mocked, but stuck out her hand to shake on it. Once that was done, she headed into the kitchen with Finn and Rose trailing behind. Rey had seen one too many dish with dried-on food that she had supposedly “washed” to be offended that Finn felt the need to supervise her. Rose, though, wanted to follow up on their earlier conversation.

“So what were you going to tell us?” she asked curiously.

Rey felt her cheeks heat up. “Well, I was at work today, and this woman came in with her friends for brunch. They come in a lot actually. Every Sunday. And the woman just looks so… expensive. They all do. You know, really nice clothes, they’re probably all lawyers and businesswomen, they definitely drink green juice and do hot yoga or Soul Cycle at some fancy studio…” Rey was stalling. She knew it and she suspected Rose and Finn knew it too. She decided to just rip off the bandaid. “Anyway, long story short, I agreed to have a threesome.”

Finn choked loudly and Rose’s eyes became comically large.

“Er, Rey, I think I’m gonna need to hear the unabridged version of this story.” Rose squeaked.

Rey spent the next hour walking them through every detail of her morning with Bazine. They both asked a lot of questions and at the end, Finn said, “Um, Rey, you know I think it’s great how, er, open and... confident you are, right? Well, it’s just, um, I think this sounds maybe just a little bit insane? How will it even work? Will you meet up with them first? Go on a date? Go over the ground rules? See if there’s any chemistry?”

“Well, I just figured she’d text me and I’d, you know, go over.”

Rose and Finn stared at her blankly. Rey squirmed.

“You should talk to Poe,” Rose said decisively. “Let’s invite him out with us this weekend. He’s poly. He knows all about this stuff. He can tell you everything you need to know.”

——

The rest of the week went by uneventfully. Rey went to work and to class, and she did all her dishes within the three hour grace period. Well, she _mostly_ did all of her dishes within the three hour grace period. What Finn didn’t know, couldn’t hurt him, and it couldn’t cause Rey to miss out on a free drink.

On Wednesday Rey got a cryptic text from an unknown number that just read, “I’ll be in touch.” Rey assumed it was Bazine and her stomach did a flip. She saved the number to her contacts.

It was finally Friday, and Rey was very glad to be heading to her favorite bar with Finn and Rose. The prospect of seeing Bazine face-to-face at work on Sunday morning was fraying her nerves, and she could stand to be a little drunk right now.

Finn grabbed the first round and they all made their way to a booth near the back. Poe was already there waiting. 

Poe was Finn’s friend from work, and if it weren’t for the fact that Finn was clearly disgustingly in love with Rose, Rey might have suspected Finn had a crush on him. But despite Finn and Poe’s close friendship (read: hero worship), this was Rey’s first time really meeting him. 

He held out his hand to her and said, “I’m Poe.” 

“Rey.” 

“I know.” They smiled warmly at each other.

Poe gestured for them all to sit down. Once everyone was settled he turned back to Rey and said, “I hear you’re interested in polyamory.” 

Rey flushed, having not expected to jump into this particular conversation quite so abruptly. She took a deep gulp of her drink, praying the alcohol kicked in quickly. “Oh, um, I guess so.”

“Finn tells me you’ve been approached to be a third. I’ll be honest with you Rey, I would not recommend unicorn hunters for your first poly experience.”

“Unicorn hunters?” Rey asked, confused.

“A couple looking for a bisexual woman. Couples can be complicated, Rey. Look, I can help you get in touch with some people. See if you like anyone. Set something up with two other poly singles, maybe.”

“Oh. Well, the thing is, I’m not sure I’m interested in polyamory, generally,” Rey explained. “At least not right now. I’m just interested in this _particular_ experience.”

“Can I ask why? Finn says you’ve never even met the man.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. It’s just… Bazine is so… together. There’s just something about her, specifically. And her boyfriend is a CFO. I’m not totally sure I understand what that is, but I’m sure it’s a job you can only have if you have your shit together.” Rey stared off into the distance with a dreamy look on her face. “And she wanted me.”

Poe frowned. “Well, I can at least tell you what you should talk about at your first meeting.”

“First meeting?”

“Yes, Rey, you are planning to all get together first to discuss expectations and parameters and all that, right?”

“Doesn’t too much planning kind of take the fun out of it?”

“No, it helps to ensure everyone gets something out of the experience and minimizes any harm.”

Now Rey was frowning. Suddenly this threesome business felt a lot more complicated than Rey was expecting. 

The reason Rey avoided relationships was because she didn’t want to get caught up discussing feelings and expectations. She wanted to meet someone at a bar, ascertain that they weren’t a serial killer, or MAGA-hat wearer, or something equally as terrifying, and then go home with them. 

Speaking of, her drink was empty and there was a very appealing someone with a broad back and long black hair sitting at the bar. “I need another drink,” Rey announced, getting up.

——

She wandered over toward the dark haired stranger and plopped herself down an on open stool near him. “Hello,” she said, her voice just a little breathier than normal.

The stranger turned. 

Rey swallowed as she took in his long face, dark eyes, and pouty lips. He wasn’t the best looking guy Rey had ever picked up in a bar. Just a few weeks ago Rey had hooked up with a guy she swore was a dead ringer for Chris Hemsworth. But Chris, with the perfectly symmetrical, conventionally handsome face, had been boring. 

There was something about this stranger’s imperfect face that made Rey want to keep looking at it. She couldn’t pull her gaze away from those pouty lips, or stop herself from imagining where she wanted him to put them.

The stranger looked over at her, a hostile expression on his face. When he met her gaze, however, he softened. He gave her what Rey was sure he _thought_ was a subtle once over, but It wasn’t so subtle that Rey didn’t notice and preen just a little. 

Rey was always pretty confident when she was trying to get laid, but she was especially confident tonight. She had taken special care getting ready that evening and felt a tiny thrill run up her spine as his eyes lingered over her décolletage. Rey had worn her magic bra tonight and she was glad to know the magic was working.

“Hi,” the stranger replied. “What are you drinking?”

“Long Island iced tea.” 

The stranger laughed, but motioned the bartender over. “Can I get another one? And a long island iced tea for her?”

When the bartender brought their drinks over, Rey smiled at the stranger. “Thank you. I’m Rey, by the way,” she said while twirling her straw.

“Ben,” said Ben, moving over to sit right next to her. “Do you need to go back to your friends?” he asked. Rey looked over to see Finn, Rose, and Poe openly staring at them. Finn looked exasperated, Rose looked amused, and Poe just looked curious and maybe a tiny bit disappointed? Rey wasn’t sure. Finn raised an eyebrow at her, but Rey just smiled and made a small shooing motion with her hand. 

“No, I think they’ll be okay,” she said. Turning to him: “So Ben, what do you do?”

“I’m an executive.”

“An executive? Sounds impressive. What does that entail, exactly?”

“Oh, mostly finance, some advising. It’s not very interesting. What about you, Rey?” 

The way he said her name, all deep and smooth, did something to her. She shivered. “I’m a student,” she replied. 

“And what are you studying?”

“Aerospace engineering.”

“That’s impressive.” 

“Thank you, but you don’t really want to talk about school and work, do you?”

He laughed again. “I guess not. What should we talk about instead, Rey?”

“Passion.”

Ben’s gaze intensified and Rey couldn’t help imagining him giving her that gaze in a more intimate setting. Oh, yes, she was definitely letting Ben take her home tonight. 

“What are you passionate about, Ben?” Rey asked as she slowly sipped her drink, and looked up at him through her lashes.

The corner of his mouth turned up into what was not quite a smile. “Dick.”

Rey choked on her Long Island.

“Philip K. Dick, that is. The sci-fi writer. Have you heard of him?”

Rey coughed and tried desperately to regain her composure. “Like, ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ Philip K. Dick?”

“So you have heard of him.” Ben sounded impressed again.

“I took an English elective last year. Zombies, Vampires, Cyborgs: Hybrids in Literature. Dick was on the syllabus.”

“Well don’t keep me guessing. What did you think?”

“I preferred ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘The Walking Dead.’”

“The novel and the tv show? I think I’m missing the connection to Dick.”

“The novel and the comic. They were also on the syllabus.”

“The comic? You’re not serious?”

“I am. There were several comic books on the syllabus. And it was one of the hardest classes I’ve taken.”

Ben scoffed.

“You try walking into class everyday and answering the question, ‘What does it mean to be human?’” Rey defended.

Ben laughed. “Alright. Answer the question. What does it mean to be human?”

“I’m an engineer, Ben. I never could answer the question. I got a C in the class.”

He laughed again. “Well, what about Frankenstein’s monster, since you said you’re a fan? Was he human?”

“Everyone should be a fan of Mary Shelley’s. She’s a badass. And I think so. In all the important ways, anyway. He had intelligence and emotions and a desire for companionship. I think the more important question in the novel is which of the humans were monsters?” Ben was looking at her with such intensity. Rey didn’t know why the question came to her lips, but she asked it before she could stop herself. “Are you a monster, Ben?” Rey whispered.

“Yes, I am.”

Maybe Rey should have taken that as a warning, or at least an opening for further investigation, but Ben was looking at her with such vulnerability, and they’d already established Rey had a soft spot for monsters…

So instead she said with a purr, “Do you want to get out of here?”

Ben broke eye contact immediately and Rey felt an unpleasant jolt. He looked down into his half full drink before grabbing it and downing it in one go. “Rey,” his voice broke on her name, “I need to tell you something… I… well… I have a girlfriend.”

Rey’s mouth fell open stupidly. “You can’t be serious,” she seethed. “I don’t fuck guys behind their girlfriends’ backs, Ben!”

“I don’t fuck women behind my girlfriend’s back.” Ben bristled right back.

“But you do buy them drinks and flirt with them in bars? What a gentleman,” Rey scoffed and stood up abruptly.

“Rey, wait. My girlfriend. I’m planning to break it off with her soon.” Ben reached out to stop her retreat.

“Don’t touch me!” Rey ripped her arm away from his grasp and stormed off without another word. 

She bit her tongue to stop herself from telling Ben to get bent. She reminded herself that Bazine would never tell a strange man in a bar to get bent. She was way too classy. And, God, did Rey want to be like Bazine. Or fuck Bazine. Whatever.

She stomped over to her friends and begged, “Please, let’s get out of here.” They all nodded, concern in their expressions. As they gathered up their belongings and Rey made every effort to avoid eye contact with Ben, she heard her phone buzz. She looked down and saw a text from Bazine:

Are you still interested? Let’s talk logistics when you finish work on Sunday.  
  


Rey smiled maniacally.

Absolutely!  
  


Who needed Ben when Rey could have Bazine AND her sexy CFO boyfriend?

—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I took a class called Zombies, Vampires, Cyborgs: Hybrids in Literature in undergrad. “Frankenstein,” “The Walking Dead,” and “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” were all on the syllabus. It WAS the hardest class of my undergrad, but I’m not an engineer and I did slightly better than a C.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben’s POV. 
> 
> Ben tries to drown himself in whiskey and self-loathing.
> 
> Bazine invites Ben to brunch and, in a desperate bid to atone for Friday night’s indiscretion, he agrees.
> 
> Ben is very confused.

Ben’s not really sure how he got here: sitting in the passenger seat of Bazine’s car at 10:15 a.m. on a Sunday morning, heading to brunch. Guilt, probably.

After Rey had stormed off on Friday night, Ben had practically tried to drown himself in whiskey and self-loathing.

Oh god, why had he told her he was going to break up with his girlfriend? What did he think that would accomplish? Was he trying to convince her to sleep with him? No. No, he wouldn’t have outright cheated on Bazine like that. Ben was an asshole, but he wasn’t the cheating kind of asshole. The reason he had told Rey about his girlfriend in the first place was to explain why he _wasn’t_ going to take her home.

Was he trying to justify the hour he spent—what was it that Rey had spat at him as she was storming away?— “buying her drinks and flirting with her in a bar”? Maybe. Or maybe there was just something about Rey that had compelled him to tell her the truth. 

That was probably the same reason he had introduced himself as Ben instead of Kylo. No matter how long he had been trying to convince himself and others that he was Kylo Ren, shrewd, ruthless CFO of First Order Inc., he would always be Ben Solo, that awkward, insecure kid who felt too much, too intensely.

Was it the truth, though? Was he planning to break things off with Bazine? It was true that Ben had been dissatisfied with the relationship for a while, but he wasn’t sure he had actually considered breaking up with her until the words slipped out to Rey. Dissatisfaction was Ben’s default position, so it wasn’t that out-of-character for him to remain in a dissatisfying relationship for no other reason than to maintain the status quo.

Bazine had pursued Ben, or really Kylo, relentlessly. They had met at some cocktail party or another that Ben had gone to in order to woo a potential investor. He had seen her, thought vaguely that she was good-looking, and then almost immediately forgotten her. 

But then he had seen her again at another party, and another, and suddenly Ben and Bazine were crossing paths with regularity. Ben had never really stopped to consider if Bazine had orchestrated these meetings, but it seemed obvious to him now that she had. She had slowly inserted herself into Ben’s life until one day, at one party, he had just taken her home. And he kept taking her home until they were “together.”

Bazine fit easily into his world. She looked right on his arm at work functions. She was better than Ben at small talk and the kind of flirting and flattery that toed the line of professionalism, but never crossed it. She was career-driven and ambitious, so she never questioned his long hours or the weekends he spent in the office.

Ben’s boss liked her. 

Actually, Ben wasn’t sure that Snoke liked anyone, but Snoke tolerated her, and considered her a useful pawn in furthering his ambitions for Ben.

But then Ben had met Rey and experienced the kind of instant connection that made Ben want to leave work early to take Rey for a picnic in the park. That made Ben want to write poetry and compose symphonies in her honor. That made Ben want to experience parts of life that he had ignored since leaving his old home and family behind.

Meeting Rey had forced Ben to confront just how pale his feelings for Bazine really were. Ben had felt more for Rey in an hour than he had felt for Bazine in the several months they had been dating. 

But, then Ben had fucked it all up. He had told Rey he had a girlfriend, and even worse, he had told Rey he planned to break up with that girlfriend. And he’d only dropped that bomb after Rey had already invested an hour of her time and energy in pursuing him. 

So, yes, Ben had meant what he said on Friday night about breaking up with Bazine. Ben had had a taste of Rey, of a connection where he had actually felt something, and he had wanted to pursue it. But now, the possibility of pursuing anything with Rey—hell, of ever even seeing Rey again—was gone. 

He had fucked it up and in the process he had, if not technically cheated on Bazine, definitely betrayed whatever relationship he had with her.

Which brought him here. 

Given a choice between Bazine and Rey, Ben would, of course, choose Rey. In a choice between Bazine and… nothing, Ben was too afraid to choose anything but the status quo. And when the status quo had asked Ben to go to brunch with her on Sunday, because her friends had all cancelled, he had immediately agreed in a desperate attempt to quell his guilt over Friday night. 

Bazine had looked surprised that he had agreed so easily and Ben had felt a fresh wave of guilt wash over him. What kind of a person was he, that his girlfriend was surprised when he agreed to spend time with her?

Ben knew the answer: he was a monster, just like he had told Rey. And today he was a monster on his way to some pretentious, hipster brunch.

—

Ben was roused from his tortured contemplation by Bazine switching on the radio. They’d been sitting in silence for several minutes, and Ben suspected it hadn’t been comfortable. He felt annoyed that Bazine would turn on the radio instead of trying to talk to him, but then he remembered he was supposed to be atoning for Friday’s indiscretion and he pushed that feeling down.

“So where are we going?” he asked Bazine with as pleasant a tone as he could muster.

“Oh, Takodana. It’s where I go every Sunday with the girls.”

“Right. Strange that all of your friends had conflicts this morning. One or two I could understand. But all of them? Tough luck,” Ben said conversationally. 

Bazine’s eyes whipped to his and gave him a searching look. She broke eye contact before speaking again, her voice just a bit too high and bright. “Oh, yeah, such an unfortunate and totally random coincidence. I’m so glad you’re coming with me, though! I’m really curious what you’ll think of her- errr- it. It! The restaurant, I mean.”

Ben smiled awkwardly. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

They lapsed into silence again and Bazine turned up the radio for the rest of the drive.

—

When they finally got to Takodana, Ben felt emotionally exhausted. He wasn’t sure how he was going to fake his way through an entire brunch. _At least it was an excuse to indulge in some mid-morning alcohol_ , he thought sardonically.

Ben was checking his phone when he heard Bazine ask the hostess, “Can you seat us in Rey’s section?” He ripped his gaze up from his phone and focused on what Bazine and the hostess were saying. “Of course,” the hostess replied. “Rey actually asked me the same thing,” she stage whispered with a conspiratorial smile.

Ben stood there stupidly for a moment before he recovered himself. So he hadn’t heard wrong. They really were talking about Rey. Or at least _A_ Rey. 

_It must be a coincidence_ , he thought. _Ray was a common enough name. The waiter was probably just some guy named Ray. It was just the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon. He had met a Rey, and now he was noticing the name, or, more precisely, a more common variation of the name, everywhere._

The hostess (‘Kaydel,’ according to her name tag), seated them on the patio and told them Ray would be with them shortly. Ben let out a breath. _A coincidence,_ he repeated to himself, like a mantra. _It was a different Ray._

Ben’s composure was short-lived, however, because a moment later, he made eye contact with the fucking gorgeous waitress standing at the register running a check.

His first thought was how goddamn good she looked in her all black uniform. She was even hotter than he remembered. His second thought was that he had definitely stepped into some kind of trap.

He quickly looked from Rey to Bazine and back to Rey. Rey’s mouth had fallen open in outraged shock upon first seeing him. Now she was just openly glaring. 

Bazine was texting. 

Ben was confused. If this was a trap, Rey and Bazine weren’t really acting the part. He would have expected them smug smiles and triumphant smirks. But what else could possibly be going on? Bazine had specifically asked for Rey. Kaydel had said Rey specifically asked for Bazine. It had to be a conspiracy against him!

He was still trying to wrap his mind around what was going on when Rey stalked over to them, notepad and pencil in hand. “Rey!” Bazine greeted her brightly. Rey gave her a customer-service-smile back. Ben couldn’t help but be reminded of the much more genuine smiles she had gifted him at the bar. “This is my boyfriend Kylo,” Bazine told Rey, her voice dripping with suggestion and innuendo.

Yep. Definitely a trap.

Rey’s smile somehow became even faker as she acknowledged Ben. “Kylo? What an unusual name, almost like it’s made up,” she said through clenched teeth. Bazine hummed vaguely and switched the subject to brunch. She gave Rey her order before turning expectantly to Ben. 

Ben couldn’t think what to do besides play along. He glanced down at the menu and ordered the first thing he read. “Er, I’ll have the gluten-free, vegan Eggs Benedict, please. Wait… how is that possible?” 

Both women just stared blankly. Bazine at Ben, and Rey at her notepad. “Yeah, okay. I’ll just have that,” he said somewhat desperately. “And an extra strong Bloody Mary.” Rey wrote it all down and headed to the kitchen, without meeting his eye.

As soon as she was out of sight Bazine rounded on him. Okay, here it was. This is where Bazine would destroy him. Ben tensed in anticipation of the inevitable confrontation. “So…” she began, “what do you think?”

“Uh… about what exactly?” Ben asked stupidly.

“Rey, of course! Do you think she’s pretty?”

 _Yes,_ Ben thought. _I want to take her right here on this table, in front of you, because I’m an asshole and a monster and you’re both too good for me._ But to Bazine he just said, “Uhhh…”

“Oh, come on, Kylo!”

“Uhhh… are you fucking with me Bazine? Is this some elaborate ruse to punish me for Friday night?”

“God, Kylo, I don’t care that you went out with Armitage and got drunk on Friday night.” Ben cringed, remembering that he had failed to mention that Hux had cancelled and he had gone out alone. “I’m just asking if you think Rey is pretty. I’m not asking if you think she’s prettier than me. I just think she’s pretty in a kind of tomboyish, not-really-trying kind of way, and I want to know if you agree. Seriously. I just want you to tell me honestly.”

Yeah, Ben definitely couldn’t answer honestly. Neither could he stop anticipating the hammer drop. So he just sat silently for a beat.

“Well?”

“Yeah, sure. She’s pretty.”

“She’d be _really_ pretty with just a bit more effort. Maybe a higher coverage foundation to even out those freckles. A visit to my brow specialist…”

Ben vehemently disagreed. He didn’t want Bazine to touch her. She was perfect as she was! But he would never say that to Bazine.

“Great ass, though,” Bazine deadpanned, watching Rey refill glasses at another table, backside prominently displayed as she leaned to reach the far glass.

Ben coughed and avoided Bazine’s eye.

 

—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to Rey’s POV next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awkward brunch part 2. In which Rey makes it clear to the reader just how much she would benefit from therapy.

The way Ben was looking at Rey right now, like she hung the fucking moon, was making Rey’s skin crawl. Rey did not hang the moon. She drank too much. She never did the dishes. It was only by the grace of God and Trojan that she did not have an STD.

And anyway, what right did Ben have to look at her like that? With his _girlfriend_ sitting right beside him. The girlfriend he appeared to be very much still seeing, despite his declaration to Rey at the bar that he was going to break up with her. Ben should be looking at his girlfriend that way. 

Rey huffed, well and truly pissed. 

Her glance strayed to Bazine, concerned about what the woman’s reaction might be to her boyfriend casting longing glances at Rey. As far as Rey could tell, however, Bazine hadn’t noticed. At that exact moment, Bazine was distracted by her phone. Rey took the opportunity to return Ben’s gaze with a scathing look of her own, then she turned abruptly and headed back into the dining area. 

Rey spotted Maz, sitting on a tall stool near the kitchen, and Rey hurried toward her. Maz’s huge eyes narrowed as Rey approached and Rey found herself wondering for the hundredth time how the woman managed to know exactly what Rey wanted or needed before Rey even opened her mouth. 

“No,” Maz told her firmly.

“But you don’t even know what I was about to say!”

“I do. You’re about to ask me if you can take your break in the middle of our brunch rush, despite the fact that you have a full section. The answer is no.”

“Please, Maz. Please! Will you at least ask Jess to cover _one_ of my tables?” Rey pleaded with the woman. 

“And which table would that be? Let me guess. Maybe the one with the human refrigerator and painted-up maneater? Connix says you requested them.”

“I requested the maneater, Maz. Not the refrigerator!”

“Well, it seems the refrigerator is trying to get you attention,” Maz looked pointedly over Rey’s shoulder, and Rey stiffened. “I’ll have Jess cover your tables, just this once, but be back to work in 15,” Maz declared in her best bossy tone. 

Rey groaned internally and prepared to meet Ben. In the meantime Maz hopped off her stool to head back toward the dining room. When Rey finally turned, several seconds later, Maz was standing before Ben, squinting up at him. “I’ve seen your picture,” she told him matter-of-factly. Rey’s mind immediately conjured images of Ben on the front of some business magazine, but Maz continued, “I’ll tell your father you look physically well. Emotionally, though? I’m not so sure.”

“My _father_?” Ben spluttered. 

“Yes, young Solo, your _father_ ,” Maz replied as she strode away.

Ben was staring after Maz incredulously, when Rey demanded, “What do you want Ben? Or is it Kylo?”

Ben turned to her, wincing. “Please, Rey. Call me Ben. My name is Ben. Was that woman a witch? Some kind of a seer? I think she saw through my soul.”

Rey ignored his questions about Maz, even as his thoughts echoed her own. “Fine, _Ben_. What are you doing back here? Shouldn’t you be with your girlfriend?” She practically spat the last part, anger covering up the confusion and sadness she felt underneath. 

“I told her I had to use the bathroom,” he explained. “Rey,” he pleaded, “I really need to talk to you—”

“Did you know who I was on Friday?” Rey demanded, suddenly desperate to know if this whole mess was some stupid game Bazine and Ben were playing with her. Were they both trying to seduce her separately as some kind of elaborate foreplay to an eventual threesome? Rey hated being manipulated. Her foster father used to try to manipulate her all the time.

“Did I know you were my girlfriend’s sometimes brunch waitress when I saw you at a random bar?” he asked, the confusion apparent on his face. “No.”

Rey stared at him, evaluating his expression for what felt like a long time. Eventually, she had to admit she believed him. Ben didn’t seem to know anything about Bazine and Rey’s… arrangement. And anyway, Bazine hadn’t so much seduced Rey a week ago, as had her friend vaguely proposition Rey before Rey attempted to seduce Bazine. And Rey had also been the one to approach Ben at the bar, so…

“Then what did you need to talk to me about?” Rey sighed. “I’m nobody to you. I’m just some random girl you used to stroke your ego, before you went home to NOT break up with your girlfriend.”

“No, Rey. That’s not what this is at all,” Ben said. “Not to me.” 

Rey stared back at Ben and felt her anger dissipating in the face of the frankness she saw there. 

She tried to grab her anger back. She needed it so she didn’t have to contemplate what else she was feeling, especially not that traitorous fluttering somewhere beneath her navel. But it was like trying to hold onto water. It just kept running through her fingers. That is, until she remembered the woman sitting back at Ben’s table. The anger flared up again.

“Go back to your table Ben,” she told him firmly. “I’ll bring you your food in a minute.” 

Ben hesitated and she felt her resolve waver.

“Ben, go. I only have a few minutes before I need to get back to work and I need some time.”

Ben reluctantly walked away, glancing back only once.

——

Rey all but ran through the kitchen and into the quiet pantry so she could think. She needed a minute to try and sort out her feelings. Barring that, she needed a minute to shove her feelings down. 

She felt angry, of course. Angry at Ben because he would not stop looking at her and talking to her and… endearing himself to her. She felt confused. She felt a little guilty, for deceiving Bazine about knowing Ben, and Ben about how she knew Bazine. But underneath all that, Rey was loath to admit she still felt… intrigued?

Her feelings toward Bazine had not changed. She still thought she was beautiful and impressive and unattainable. Rey still liked the idea of being around her, getting close to her, and seeing if some of that shit-togetherness might rub off on Rey.

As Bazine’s boyfriend, Ben was not what Rey had been expecting. By all accounts he was very successful professionally. That was in line with Rey’s expectations. Physically, Rey had no complaints, and maybe even a few commendations ( _he was just so broad!_ ). Emotionally, though, Maz was right. Ben was a fucking mess.

So why was Rey still drawn to him? Despite their terrible first parting, Rey’s mind had wandered to Ben near-constantly over the past two days. There was just something about his naked vulnerability with Rey that made her feel soft and warm… and desperate to see him naked in more literal ways. 

God, what was wrong with her? He had a girlfriend! But, a girlfriend who was actively trying to organize a threesome to keep him interested. A threesome with Rey. 

“Shit!” she cursed, realizing her 15 minute break was over five minutes ago. Rey dashed back to work, shoving down all her more unsavory feelings as she went. 

She just needed to get through this shift, and then maybe she could dig her feelings up again for a more thorough and healthy examination. Maybe...

—— 

Rey could not believe how slowly Ben and Bazine consumed their brunch. Well, Ben wasn’t really consuming the atrocity on his plate as much as cutting it into smaller and smaller pieces and moving it around. Their snail’s pace meant that Rey had to stop by their table quite a few times after her impromptu break, to refill their drinks and check if they needed anything.

Luckily, at this point in her life Rey was a pro at pushing down her feelings until they erupted week or even months later as days-long jags of easy tears or stormy rages. Finn would try to help her process her feelings, and she would either succeed or shove them back down again, rinse, and repeat.

Rey wouldn’t have to address her anger, confusion, or guilt for quite a while. And not feeling those particular feelings made it much easier for Rey to wait on the couple. 

Ben seemed suspicious of her change in demeanor. Bazine didn’t seem to notice at all.

When Rey finally ran their check and brought them their receipt (Rey couldn’t help but notice Ben had a sleek black card, the kind with no limit), Bazine excused herself to go to the bathroom. 

_Probably the bottomless mimosas_ , Rey thought. Bazine definitely seemed to take that particular brunch special as a personal challenge.

As Bazine stood up, however, she shot Rey a significant glance. Rey looked back curiously before catching on to the fact that a Bazine wanted Rey to follow. Rey glanced toward Ben before following Bazine off the patio. Ben was pointedly looking away from Rey.

Once Rey and Bazine were inside and far out of earshot of Ben, Bazine turned to Rey and asked, “So, are you interested?”

“In Be—Kylo?” Rey blushed, worried Bazine had picked up on something going on between them.

“Well, Kylo and me, yes.”

Rey exhaled, relieved. But then paused. Was she? Interested in Ben and Bazine, as a couple? She had spent some time picturing herself with Ben, particularly while she struggled to sleep on Friday and Saturday night. And before that she’d fantasized about herself, Bazine, and some vague outline of a man. 

But this was her first time really contemplating “interacting” with Ben and Bazine: the couple.

Rey knew, on some level, that the only reason she was even considering this was because she was ignoring so many of her feelings. She could hear Poe’s voice telling her that couples could be complicated. She heard her own voice telling her that _this_ couple would be especially complicated because of the feelings that existed between her and Ben. But Rey ignored all those voices to ask, “What does Kylo think?”

“Oh, he likes you. He thinks you’re pretty.”

Somehow, Rey could not imagine Ben calling her “pretty.” I was such a nothing word. Rey just couldn’t imagine it falling from Ben’s plush lips. Ravishing. That was a Ben word. Enthralling. Alluring. Captivating. But… pretty?

“Oh, well that’s nice.”

“So, you’re on board?”

“I’m…” Rey grasped at the only emotion she had left unburied, “intrigued.”

“Excellent!” Bazine gushed. “Honestly, Rey, this is going to be so fun! I’ll make sure Kylo is free this weekend. This feels like something we should leave to the weekend. He’s going to love it! He’ll be surprised, but he’ll love it!”

Bazine smiled too broadly at her, showing too many teeth. It was vaguely unsettling. Before Rey registered what was happening, Bazine leaned forward and kissed Rey, square on the mouth. Rey’s lips tingled as Bazine broke the kiss, but Rey couldn’t decide if the feeling was altogether pleasant. 

“This is going to be so fun,” Bazine repeated again, as she retreated back to her table to grab her bag and her boyfriend to leave.

Rey just nodded, dazed.

 _Wait, did Bazine say Ben was going to be surprised? Had Bazine not actually_ asked _Ben?_

—


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben gets a big surprise. Everything goes exactly to plan. (Except, whoops! Everyone ignored Poe and no one ever bothered to make one.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is twice as long as my normal chapters and I still couldn’t wrap it up, so I increased the chapter count by one.

“Hey Rose, can you come here for a minute? I need your help with something.” 

Rose looked up from her usual spot on the couch, leaning against the arm with her feet in Finn’s lap, to see Rey standing before her in only a towel. Specifically, one of Finn’s towels. Finn’s towels were, after all, much larger and plusher and more appropriate for company than the thin, dingy one Rey called her own. 

Rey watched Finn notice, and then pointedly ignore, her appropriation of his bath linen before pushing Rose’s feet off his lap and turning back to the tv with an indulgent smirk. 

After the excitement of last weekend, Rose and Finn were back to their normal Friday night routine: binging on takeout and Netflix, before retiring to Finn’s room for what Rey was sure was deeply emotional, if incredibly vanilla, sex. 

Sometimes they went to Rose’s, but Rey was sure the routine remained the same. They were _so_ couple-y. It was adorable. And kind of disgusting.

“Don’t start the next episode without me,” Rose told Finn sternly before getting up and following Rey to her room. Rey would have felt bad interrupting if not for the fact that Finn and Rose (and Finn and Rey, pre-Rose) had watched every episode of Parks and Rec at least half-a-dozen times. 

Once the women had reached Rey’s room, Rey pushed the door firmly closed behind them and flung herself face down on her bed. Rose sat primly on the edge of the mattress, waiting.

“Rose… you know how I have plans this evening?”

“Uh, yes.”

“Well, I was wondering… can you help me pick out something to wear? It’s just, I’m not really sure what the dress code is for something like this.”

Rose laughed. “And you thought I might be able to provide some expertise on what to wear to a threesome?”

“Well, not expertise exactly.”

“Did you ask Bazine? I assume you guys talked out all the logistics this week?”

“Yes,” Rey responded, a bit too defensively. “At least, all the important things. Like, I know at what hotel and at what time I’m meeting her. Clothes, or the lack thereof, just never really came up.”

“You’re meeting just her? Isn’t the point of a threesome that there be _three_ participants?”

“Yes! Ben, er, Kylo is coming later. He has to work late or something.”

Rose raised an eyebrow. “Okay. And you absolutely confirmed that they’re both on board with this? You’ve all discussed what you’re comfortable with and what you hope to get out of this experience and everyone’s on the same page?”

No. The answer to all of Rose’s questions was no, but Rey really did not want to tell Rose that right now.

After Sunday’s awkward brunch, Rey had texted Bazine, and Rey had specifically told Bazine that she was only comfortable moving forward if she knew that Ben/Kylo was on board too. Bazine had very persuasively explained that she really wanted this to be a surprise for Kylo.That she was afraid that their sex life had gotten a little stale and she really thought surprising him would be the most effective way to reinvigorate it. Spontaneity was important, so the surprise was crucial, etc. etc. 

And Rey had been persuaded. Yes, Poe said that communication between all three parties was a key element of a successful threesome (he had been relaying that message all week through Finn), but Poe’s version of a threesome just sounded so clinical. Rey agreed with Bazine that too much thought and planning would kill the vibe.

And then there was the fact that Rey still really, really wanted to sleep with Ben, if only to get him out of her system. This seemed like the only way. 

Oh! And Bazine too. Of course, yes, Rey also wanted to sleep with Bazine.

All this taken together meant that Rey had not confirmed that Ben was on board with the impending throupling. But she was confident that between her and Bazine, they’d be able to convince him.

Rey just had to pick out the right outfit.

“What do you think of these?” Rey held up her favorite pair of overalls, hoping to distract Rose from her questions.

“Hell no!” Rose shrieked. 

Rey’s misdirection had worked.

—

An hour later, Rey was walking through the lobby of the way-too-fancy hotel Bazine had directed her to, dressed in a simple romper with a deep v-shaped neckline and a pair of strappy wedges. Underneath she was wearing a pair of lacy boyshorts mismatched with a similarly lacy bralette. They were the nicest underclothes Rey owned, and Rose had reassured her that the fact that they were very obviously two different colors was fine, thanks to something called “color blocking.” 

Despite Rose’s continued reservations about Rey’s arrangement, she had rallied to help Rey get ready, giving her a fresh-faced, no-makeup makeup look and adequately styling Rey’s hair into easy waves. Rey had been at a complete loss on how she should look for the evening, so she was very grateful for Rose’s selfless guidance.

Back in the lobby, Rey looked down at the text from Bazine, double checking the room number before heading to the elevators.

—

Bazine opened the hotel room door and stepped aside to let Rey in. The room was lovely. Almost as large as Rey’s entire apartment, with clean and modern decor. 

Rey barely took it in, however, because her eyes were glued to Bazine. Her breath hitched sharply as she gawked. Like Rey, Bazine had opted to wear simple makeup and her hair loose around her face. Unlike Rey, Bazine was wearing a black lace corset and panty set, garters, sheer black thigh high stockings, and towering stiletto heels. Rey had no idea the brand Bazine was wearing but, whatever it was, Rey was positive it was French and obscenely overpriced.

Bazine looked drop-dead sexy! Suddenly, Rey was feeling much less confident with Rose’s styling.

Bazine grabbed a sheer black robe off the bed and threw it on over her lingerie, hiding absolutely nothing. She scrutinized Rey, head to toe, and smiled. “You look sweet, Rey.”

Rey just swallowed.

“Kylo should be here soon. He thinks I just booked us a hotel, last minute, as a treat. I’m actually shocked he agreed to it, but then he’s been shockingly agreeable all week.” Bazine shrugged. “Come sit on the bed with me.”

Rey removed her shoes and Bazine pulled her over to the bed to sit. Rey complied, feeling an odd mix of intense attraction and crippling self-consciousness every time she looked at Bazine. Not to mention she was getting incredibly apprehensive thinking about Ben arriving, completely unaware of what was waiting for him.

Bazine seemed to pick up on the swirl of emotions that was Rey.

“Rey, I can see you overthinking. Stop it. Stop thinking about the disappointment of your priest or your mother or whoever.”

“Oh, uh, my best friend Finn.”

“What about him?”

“If anyone’s disappointed… if I care about anyone’s disappointment, its my best friend Finn’s. He definitely thinks this is a mistake. I, uh, I don’t really have a priest or… uh, parents… at all.”

“Oh. Me neither.”

Rey looked up, surprised. 

“I grew up in a children’s home and then some weird boarding school for gifted orphans” Bazine clarified matter-of-factly.

Rey contemplated this revelation. Rey and Bazine were both orphans. They had both come from nothing, and they had both built a life. 

Rey noted, however, that Bazine seemed to be much further along on her journey to self-actualization than Rey. 

Rey was thinking about her Intro to Psych class, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and Rey’s own safety needs and social belonging when she realized she had been too quiet for too long. She thought back to the last thing Bazine had told her and asked with the tiniest smirk, “Like the X-Men Academy?”

Bazine scoffed. “No, but I learned how to network there and that _is_ kind of my superpower. That and jui-jitsu.” Rey’s face again registered surprise. “I told you, it was a strange school. Instead of softball and track, we did martial arts,” Bazine briefly raised her shoulders. The motion was too graceful for Rey to call it a shrug. “But knowing how to network, how to make connections, that’s been crucial. It’s gotten me everywhere. And it’s what attracted me to Kylo, initially. He’s got an amazing network,” Bazine finished dreamily.

Rey suddenly remembered Bazine telling her girlfriends that she needed to stay with Kylo until some engagement party. “It will open so many doors for me,” Rey remembered Bazine wailing. 

_That was it,_ Rey told herself, totally ignoring her memory of Bazine assuring her friend that her affection for her boyfriend was so deep as to be implied. _That was why Bazine was doing all this. For networking._ At least, that’s what Rey would tell herself. 

For Bazine’s sake, Rey hoped it worked.

“What about you Rey? Where did you grow up?”

“In a series of increasingly shitty foster homes,” Rey replied.

“That sucks.” Bazine said in that same detached, matter-of-fact tone. She sighed, “Look not to change the subject from this super uplifting reminiscing, but I think Kylo will be here soon-”

Sure enough, as soon as Bazine started her sentence, they heard to electronic lock unlatch and the door opening. 

“I had the extra room key couriered over to his office earlier,” Bazine whispered to Rey, as she positioned herself enticingly on the bed. Rey stood up, suddenly unsure about absolutely everything except her inability to look seductive laid out next to Bazine.

—

Ben opened the door slowly, never looking up as he pulled his keycard out of the reader and stepped into the space. 

Rey was practically bouncing with nerves. In the last few moments before Ben noticed her and shit hit the fan, Rey drank him in, eyes raking over his suit-clad body. _Damn him for looking so good,_ Rey thought. _He and Bazine really were an unfairly sexy couple._

Ben’s eyes found Bazine, sprawled across the bed, and Rey thought she saw discomfort flash across his face before he carefully schooled his features back to a neutral expression. 

He broke eye contact, glancing around lazily before all at once becoming aware of the other person in the room. His eyes pulled dramatically toward Rey’s and all his careful composure dissolved away, like cotton candy on a tongue. He gaped at her. She stared blankly back.

“What’s going on?” His voice sounded strangled, desperate.

“It’s a surprise. For you.” Bazine told him.

“A surprise? What is the surprise?”

“Rey.”

“Rey?”

“Rey. She’s here to spend the night with us.”

Rey watched as all the air rushed out of Ben at once, and he took a step back. He’d been looking at Rey throughout this entire exchange, but suddenly it was too much for her. She felt her face burning with embarrassment and she shifted her gaze to Bazine.

Bazine was giving her that predatory smile, again. Rey shivered, involuntarily.

“I… this… I… what the hell? Rey?”

Rey looked back at Ben, but out of the corner of her eye she could see Bazine standing up and stalking toward her. “Bazine asked me if I’d be interested in joining you two, two weeks ago?” Rey wasn’t sure why she said it like a question. 

“Two weeks ago? But we only met last week at… at...?” He looked crazed.

“Brunch,” Bazine finished for him (wrongly). “I needed you to meet each other. To see if you both liked what you saw.”

Rey could feel Bazine stalking behind her. Slowly, the other woman placed her hands lightly on Rey’s shoulders and lowered her lips to Rey’s neck. When she started kissing her, Rey’s breath hitched. So did Ben’s.

Bazine continued. Pushing Rey’s romper off one shoulder, exposing the bralette underneath.

Rey was conflicted. On the one hand, what Bazine was doing to Rey felt really, really good. Bazine’s hands moved down her arms, down her body, before settling on her hips. Rey strained her neck, exposing as much surface area to Bazine’s lips as she could. 

On the other hand, Ben was still standing there in front of her looking dumbstruck. And as Bazine pushed down her romper, Rey saw a flash of something else. Jealousy, maybe? But was he jealous of Rey or Bazine? She wasn’t sure, and since Bazine was now turning her around, she didn’t have an opportunity to puzzle it out. 

They were now facing each other, their sides to Ben. Bazine leaned in and started kissing Rey. Rey kissed her back. Bazine’s hands roamed up and down Rey’s body, pushing her romper off her other shoulder and down to Rey’s waist. Her tongue pushed lightly against Rey’s lips, coaxing Rey to open up for her. Rey did. 

Rey all but forgot there was someone else in the room, moaning into Bazine’s mouth. Ben’s whimper brought him back to Rey’s attention.

Rey and Bazine both turned to look at him, breaking their kiss, but still holding on to one another. Bazine’s sheer robe was halfway down her arms. She released Rey to shuck it off completely, and then turned toward Ben. “Don’t worry, baby. It’s almost your turn,” she breathed. 

“Rey-” Ben looked at Rey, his eyes pleading but also dark. “Bazine, we need to talk-”

Before Ben could finish, Bazine turned back to Rey. She pulled Rey’s romper off the rest of the way, stripping Rey down to her underwear and effectively distracting all three of them. Under Ben and Bazine’s twin hungry gazes, Rey was hyper aware of her ass cheeks hanging out of the bottom of her panties and her nipples pushing obviously through her lace bralette.

She blushed and then bristled, her mind finally catching up enough to process Bazine’s words to Ben. Rey didn’t love the way Bazine had referred to her, as if she were an object to be passed between them rather than an autonomous person with her own needs and desires. 

Rey was just about to say as much to Bazine when Bazine mouth crashed against hers again and Rey’s mind went fuzzy with arousal. Bazine pulled Rey closer so that Rey’s nipples rubbed deliciously against Bazine.

When Bazine broke the kiss, Rey whimpered. Bazine smiled, “Don’t worry doll, it’s almost Kylo’s turn. He’ll take care of you.” 

_Doll. A pretty toy_ , Rey thought. But she barely had time to register her annoyance before Bazine reached up to cup Rey’s breasts and tease her nipples. Rey moaned quietly. 

Just as Rey was about to beg Bazine for more, Bazine was pushing her toward Ben. He caught her reluctantly, holding her at arms length. As Rey’s lust-addled brain took in his furrowed brow and pained expression, she was gripped with the desperate need to soothe him, fix him, make him feel as good as she felt. So she pushed forward, through the space he put between them, and kissed him with the same ferocity that Bazine had just kissed her.

Ben stood stiff and still for several moments while Rey kissed him. Eventually, though, his grip tightened around her and he started to kiss her back, hungrily. 

If being kissed by Bazine had been titillating, being kissed by Ben was transcendent. She clung to him, desperate for more: more contact, more friction, more connection. She could feel Ben already hard and pressed against her. Whatever conflict had obviously been going on in Ben’s head for the last several minutes as he had watched her be kissed and touched by Bazine, his body seemed to have resolved itself.

They continued kissing and touching frantically. 

“Rey,” Ben moaned into her.

“Ben,” Rey keened back.

“Ben?” She heard Bazine say. “Who’s Ben?”

Ben and Rey broke their embrace, Bazine’s question jolting them out of their lust-crazed hazes. 

“Uh, me. I’m Ben. Ben is my… real… name.”

Bazine blinked. “Your real name? Kylo Ren isn’t your real name?”

“No, it’s Ben. Ben Solo.”

“Solo? Like, Senator Organa-Solo?” Bazine squeaked. 

Ben’s posture became rigid again. “Uh, yes. Yeah. She’s my… mother…”

“Senator Organa-Solo is your mother?” Bazine’s voice was pitched well above her normal range. “We’ve been dating six months and this is the first time I’m hearing that Senator Organa-Solo is your mother?!”

“I, uh, don’t really talk about it. The Senator and I are not that close.”

“Well get close! Wait,” Bazine’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Wait. How does Rey know? How does my brunch waitress know your real name is Ben? My brunch waitress who you met five days ago?”

Rey glanced over at Ben, panicked. Ben looked back, his face full of agitation.

“Well, I was trying to tell you earlier, before you, uh, ripped off her clothes. Rey and I had met before brunch.”

“Before?” Bazine Voice was definitely raised.

“Not long before,” Rey offered. “We met at a bar… a few days before.”

“A bar? You met at a bar? What bar? What were you doing at this bar, Kylo?”

“He was just drinking. Keeping to himself. I approached him. I talked to him. And that’s all. We just drank and talked,” Rey rushed to tell her.

“So you and Kylo met at a bar and talked for what? A few hours? And she knows your mother is a fucking Senator? A secret you apparently kept from your girlfriend of six months?”

“No. No! I had no idea his mother was a Senator until just now. All he told me was his real name.”

“Kylo? Why did you tell her your real name?”

“I… uh…”

“People use fake names in bars all the time, Bazine! It was probably like that! When I’m trying to pick someone up, I almost always tell them my name is Kira. Wait! No! Not someone I’m trying to pick up! Be was _not_ trying to pick me up! He probably gave me a fake name because—”

“Rey, shut up. Kylo?”

“Bazine,” Ben said, “I told her my name was Ben because I felt a real connection to her and I couldn’t stand the thought of lying.” Rey looked sharply at Ben. Why didn’t he lie?

“A connection? A real fucking connection? With her? The girl you met for five minutes at a bar? Fuck you, Kylo! Or should I say fuck you, Ben! Honestly, I wouldn’t have even cared that much if you told me you slept with her, but a connection? You don’t think I would have liked to form a connection with you? You don’t think I tried? Am still trying? I just didn’t think you were capable of it! I’m so fucking good at making connections! And now you’re telling me you have a fucking connection with Rey? 

“Fuck, Kylo. And your mother is a Senator! A United States Senator! How many times have I told you I wanted to branch into politics? I can’t fucking believe you didn’t introduce me to your mother, or even mention her during the six months we’ve been daring! Fuck you!” Bazine snatched up her robe, stormed into the bathroom, and slammed the door.

Rey and Ben just stood quietly for a while, listening to Bazine’s muffled, angry muttering. 

Eventually, the tension grew too much and Ben rounded on Rey. “What the hell Rey? What are you doing here? What were you thinking? Why would you agree to this?”

“Really, Ben? You didn’t seem to mind me being here when you had your tongue shoved down my throat and your hands all over my ass!” She gestured vaguely toward his still half-hard cock.

Ben blushed and tried to protect his modesty with his hands. Rey had no chance of protecting hers.

“What did you expect Rey? The woman of my dreams is basically naked in front of me, telling me I can have her, and I don’t even have to feel guilty about it because my girlfriend set the whole thing up! How did you expect me to react? You’re so fucking hot, the pope couldn’t say no to you!” Ben’s angry tone absolutely did not match his words. Rey felt heat rise to her cheeks and she wasn’t sure if it was an angry flush or a blush.

“Ben,” she started, but was interrupted by Bazine storming back into the room. She was fully dressed now, and carrying a sleek overnight bag. “Well, fuck you both, I’m out of here,” she declared. Rey held back a quip about how fucking them both was kind of the whole point of the evening.

“Bazine, don’t go,” Ben said instead. “You booked the room. We’ll leave. Of course we’ll leave.”

“Well, actually Kylo, you paid for the room. And you’re paying for a series of spa treatments for me, tomorrow. I just called the front desk to schedule them and told them to charge them to the card on file.”

 _God,_ Rey thought, horrified, but also somewhat admiringly. _What a quick-thinking bitch. This woman seriously took no shit._

“Fair,” was all Ben could say.

Rey watched as Bazine gathered up the last of her things, the guilt in her belly reaching critical mass. Despite what she had been telling herself, that Bazine didn’t really care about Ben as much as she cared about Kylo Ren’s social network, Rey couldn’t ignore the role she had just played in… ending their relationship? Were Ben and Bazine breaking up, right in front of her? Was she the cause of it?

Bazine continued across the room toward the door when Rey suddenly called out, “Wait!”

She turned to Ben. “Am I really the girl of your dreams?” she asked. Her question had clearly caught him off guard. He stared at her in disbelief for a minute before breathing out: “Yes.”

“Is there a reason I needed to be here to witness this? Are you that much of a sadist, Rey? It’s not enough for you to steal my boyfriend, you need to force me to watch that boyfriend profess his undying love to you?” Bazine was back to her deadpan tone.

Rey ignored her and continued talking to Ben. “If it’s true, promise me you’ll take Bazine to that engagement party, and you’ll introduce her to all your most important friends,” Rey demanded.

Ben balked. “What?”

“Promise me you’ll take Bazine to that party and that you’ll introduce her to whoever she wants to meet. And you’ll tell everyone how great she is at her job. And you’ll connect her to your mother.”

Bazine turned to Rey, her naked shock slowly transforming into a Cheshire-cat smile.

“I… what? You want me to keep dating Bazine?”

Bazine actually snorted. “As if. We’re done.”

“No, I want you to take her to the engagement party. Go as friends. Go as colleagues. I don’t care. Just promise you’ll take her.”

Rey stared at him steadily, until his eyes shifted to Bazine. When their eyes met Bazine said, “Well?”

“Okay. I guess. I promise. But, Bazine, do you even want to come with me?”

“Of fucking course I do, Kylo. Why do you think I organized this whole thing? I’ve wanted to meet the bride, Phasma, for fucking ages. She’s in my field! You knew that! But you never introduced me! And I was afraid you were going to dump me before I finally got the chance!”

Ben looked like he had a lot more questions, but seemed to think better of asking them right then. Instead he said, “But I can’t introduce you to my mother. I told you, we’re not close. I know some other people in politics. All high up. All influential. I’ll give you an introduction to one of them instead.”

“Yes,” Bazine replied immediately. 

There was an awkward moment after that, where nobody seemed to know what to do or say. How do you end an unsuccessful threesome gracefully? 

After what felt like several minutes of awkward silence,but was probably much less, Bazine rallied. “I’m holding you to this, Kylo. The party, the introductions, all of it. I only booked the room for one night, but since the billing is under your name, fuck it, do what you want. I don’t care. Fuck all weekend, if you want to.” 

With that sign off, Bazine glided out the door, slamming it firmly behind her.

Rey rushed over to her romper and hastily started putting it back on, wishing she had had the presence of mind to do so a long time ago.

“Rey,” Ben pleaded, noticing her hastily attempting an exit, “Stay, please. Let’s talk. I really want to talk to you.”

“I… Ben, this night has been really confusing. I think I need to be by myself…”

“I’m not asking you to sleep with me, Rey. I swear, I won’t try a thing. I’m asking you to talk to me. Just for a little while, then you can go home and sleep in your own bed, and you never have to see me again, if you don’t want to.”

Rey looked up at him, and immediately found herself distracted by his perpetually pouty lips and dark eyes. “You still have to take Bazine to that party,” she hedged, desperate to allay the guilt she was still feeling. “Even if I decide I never want to see you again.”

“Deal. Just… Rey, please, stay.”

Rey felt her resolve crumble all at once. “Alright. I’ll stay. We’ll talk, but… what if… what if when we’re done… I want you to try something?”

 

—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read Bazine’s canon backstory, and understand why I kind of like her:
> 
> http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Bazine_Netal
> 
> I tried several times to make a link, but it kept switching to “no follow.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey talk things out and then work things out another way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really appreciate all the constructive criticism given on the last chapter. At first, I had to really resist the urge to revise it, but I’m glad I didn’t. Your comments really helped me pin down what Ben and Rey still needed to discuss. I hope some of your concerns/confusion are addressed.
> 
> This chapter is a lot talkier than I usually like (show don’t tell is burned into my brain) but I think I’m happy with how it came out.
> 
> Also, enjoy my very first full smut scene. I hope it’s less awkward for you to read than it was for me to write.

“What if when we’re done… I _want_ you to try something? I’m not saying I will! But I’m keeping the possibility open.”

“That would be… okay. More than okay.”

He looked at her searchingly for a second before he grasped her face and kissed her hard. Rey was surprised but her body, still keyed up and aching from their earlier activities, seemed pleased with this development and she instinctually kissed him back.

After a moment she pushed him away enough to say, “Ben, what did you want to talk about?”

He didn’t react right away and she thought he hadn’t heard her, but after a beat he said, “I-” he kissed her on the cheek, close to her hairline, “-can’t really-” he kissed her other cheek, “-remember-” her jaw, “-right now.” He kissed her temple. 

He lifted his lips off her skin just a hair and breathed against her: “Was there something _you_ wanted to talk about?” He resumed his romantic attentions.

“Yes,” she practically panted out, “I’m, ah, curious why you aren’t close with your mother? Why does Maz need to tell your dad how you’re doing? Don’t you talk to them?”

Ben lifted his head from Rey’s neck and moved back to look her in the eye. He ran a hand through his thick almost-black waves, nervously. And then reached out to touch her face with one hand.

“Wow, Rey.” He said while stroking her cheek. “It’s… it’s complicated. My relationship with my parents is really complicated.” 

He leaned forward and kissed her again. Rey suspected he was trying to distract her.

“You should call her.” Rey said between kisses.

“Okay,” Ben said as his attentions became more urgent.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“But… why? Why would you just agree to that? You told Bazine you wouldn’t.”

“Because you’re perfect and I want to keep kissing you, and if that takes calling my mother, I’ll do it.”

Rey pushed him away again, but this time she also scooted away from him, out of kissing range. “Ben, no. Don’t. I’m not perfect, I’m not a doll. I’m just a normal person. I fuck up sometimes… a lot, actually.”

Ben furrowed his brow. “You don’t have to do that, Rey. You don’t have to be self-deprecating. You’re so good,” he reached for her, but Rey kept away. “Look what you did for Bazine.”

Rey laughed. “That wasn’t me being good or selfless Ben. That was penitence. I was trying to make _myself_ feel better about what I did to her.”

“You didn’t do anything to her! It wasn’t your fault Bazine and I broke up. She was right, I wasn’t trying to make it work. I never tried. And I’m not even sure she wanted me to. Bazine has always been about what others can do for Bazine.”

Rey, sighed. “It’s not even about that. I don’t feel bad that you broke up. I’m glad you did, obviously. I just feel like I deceived her. I knew exactly what this arrangement was. When I agreed to participate, I knew Bazine was just trying to distract you so you wouldn’t break up with her before that stupid party.

“But Bazine thought I was just some random girl, down for a no-strings attached threesome. I should have been honest with her when I realized I had strings. I should have told her that I already knew her boyfriend and had… feelings… for him. That’s not what she signed up for. It’s not what I advertised. Even if her motive was… questionable, it doesn’t excuse the questionable things I did.”

“Feelings?” Ben asked, hopefully still taking in the rest of Rey’s comments. “And, uh, when exactly did you get these feelings for me?”

“At the bar. And after the bar when I saw you at brunch. And this whole week when I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” Rey looked down at her hands, “I never believed in love at first sight.” She heard Ben’s breath hitch sharply and she quickly continued. “And I still don’t,” she said firmly. “But I felt something for you that night. Like you said, a connection. And I’d never really felt that before.”

“I understand, Rey. I feel it too.” Their eyes met and something intense passed between them. Rey looked away, uncomfortable with the strength of his feelings, and her own, after such a short amount of time.

Ben started talking again, his tone reassuring. “You don’t need to feel bad about Bazine, Rey. She really doesn’t seem that broken up about it.”

“I DON’T feel bad about Bazine, Ben, _because_ I’m making it up to her. Well, you’re making it up to her, technically, but I like to think you’re only doing it because I asked you to.”

“I am. I mean, I could also probably stand to do some penance on that front, but I wouldn’t have thought to do it unless you told me to... But that’s irrelevant! She’s irrelevant. None of this makes you a bad person.”

“I know!” Rey said, rolling her eyes. “I know that I’m not a bad person. At least mostly not. That’s not what I’m telling you. I’m telling you to stop calling me ‘perfect,’ ‘dream girl,’ ‘doll.’ There’s a big difference between not bad and perfect, Ben. You’re putting me up on this pedestal, but if you put me up there, the first time I fuck up (and I definitely will fuck up, because everyone fucks up) this fake, perfect image that you have of me will shatter and… and you’ll leave.”

“Rey, Rey,” he reached out for her hand. “I won’t leave unless you ask me to. I want this,” he pointed between them, “to be something. So much. So, okay. I won’t call you perfect. I won’t even think of you as perfect or as my dream girl. But Rey, I don’t really know what you’re talking about with ‘doll.’ I’m pretty sure I’ve never called anyone doll in my life.”

“Oh,” Rey flushed. “That… was definitely Bazine. Consider this your warning then. I hated it. It made me feel shit. Don’t ever compare me to an inanimate object. I only want to be compared to dynamic things. Like, say, a muskox.”

Ben laughed. “Rey, did you just make a Parks and Rec joke in the middle of our very serious conversation?”

“I did. And I’m glad you caught it. It means my best friends Finn and Rose will like you. And they definitely need to like you if you ever want this to be anything.”

Ben moved toward her. “Do you really want me to compare you to a muskox, Rey?” he whispered in her ear as he lowered his head to hers.

“No,” she murmured back. “I was kidding. Leslie Knope is notorious for putting people up on pedestals. I was serious when I told you not to do that.”

“Deal,” he said as he nuzzled her.

“Do, uh, do you remember what you wanted to talk about now?” Rey asked, turning her head to kiss him. She kissed the mole above his lip carefully. Just as she was moving to the mole on the other side of his nose, higher up, he sat up, thwarting her. 

“Actually, yeah. I need to know, Rey, why did you agree to this thing with me and Bazine? Why did you still come even after you knew it was me?”

Rey had been hoping for an easier question. Something like, “Do you want to fool around, now?”

She took a deep, steadying breath. “This… thing between us… this connection… because of it, I forget that we don’t really know each other.” She sighed. “I know you said you’d only leave if I asked you to, but I need you to know it’s okay if you just want to leave for you. It’s okay if you decide we’re just not compatible.”

“Rey, hey. It’s okay.” He gripped onto her shoulders and met her gaze head on. “Just say what you need to. Then I’ll decide.”

“I’m not really good at this whole intimacy thing. Emotional intimacy, I mean. Physical intimacy, I have a lot of experience with. I’ve been with a lot of different men and women and non-binary people. But I’d never been with more than one at a time, and it seemed like something I should try sometime. And Bazine asked me.”

“Okay…” Ben said slowly, looking like he was mulling over Rey’s revelations. “But what about when you found out it was me? Why didn’t you at least warn me?”

She grimaced. “Well, Bazine made a very persuasive argument for why it should be a surprise. But, actually, I think it was because I was really attracted to you while also being pretty mad at you. Mad for leading me on at the bar. And then for still having a girlfriend. And then for looking at me the way you looked at me while still having a girlfriend. Obviously this all seems incredibly misguided and petty in retrospect, but i think I thought this was my opportunity to punish you while also getting the chance to fuck you out of my system.”

“You wanted to punish me and fuck me out of your system?”

“Yes. I’m really sorry about that, but you still had a girlfriend. It seemed like it was either that or stay hung up on an unavailable guy forever.”

“Honestly? I’m sorry too. For each of the things you were mad at me for.”

“I think it’s okay. But... maybe we should keep talking about it? I also need to hear more about you and your parents,” she noticed his wince and also noticed how hard he tried to suppress it, “just maybe another time? I’m really sick of talking right now.”

“Yeah, another time. We’ll keep talking. Does that mean you want to try this, then? Being together?”

“I’d think like to try seeing you, yes. The parent thing definitely seems like a third or fourth date conversation. And if you buy me dinner, I might even tell you about my childhood.”

“Good,” Ben said, looking genuinely happy, but his obvious happiness was soon tempered by a serious expression on his face. “The only thing I need you to understand, Rey, is that if I’m going to date you, I want to date _just_ you. I don’t care if you need some time to decide if you want to date just me. If you need to keep seeing other people while you figure that out, I can live with that. It will be hard, but I can do it. But if you eventually decide you want to be with me, no one else will be involved. No threesomes, no swinging, no open relationships. Just you and me. Do you understand?”

“Yes. And thank you for giving me some time to figure it out.”

“Of course, if that’s what you need.”

Rey bit her lip. “Does that mean you want to wait to do anything physical? Until I’ve decided if I want to date you exclusively?”

“Uh, no. That’s not really something I insist upon.”

“Good,” Rey smiled cheekily. “Because I’m not sure I can make a decision like that without all the relevant information. And this seems relevant.”

She leaned toward him and pressed her mouth against his. She started softly, with featherlight kisses, slowly building the intensity. He hummed, kissed her back, and pulled her toward him. She settled into his lap and moved her legs to straddle him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist. Once she was comfortably settled, she teased her tongue along the seam of his upper and lower lips. Ben opened them to Rey and she pushed her tongue in, meeting his. Their kisses became longer, deeper, more passionate.

They kept kissing for what felt like hours. Rey couldn’t remembered the last time she had lingered like this, totally unhurried to get to the main event.

Eventually, though, the throbbing between her legs became too distracting and she started moving her hips to grind up against him. Ben groaned.

It felt exquisite. Not least because Ben was so clearly aroused too.

His cock was probably painfully hard and uncomfortably confined in his suit pants. Rey wanted to give him some relief, so she reached down to undo his pants’ button and started unzipping.

Ben had already removed his jacket and tie. Rey had no idea when. It might have been hours ago or it might have been in the last few minutes. At whatever point it had happened, it gave Rey easy access to his dress shirt. She reached down to untuck it from his pants and let her hands wander up to explore the bare skin underneath.

Not to be outpaced, Ben’s arms glided up from Rey’s hips to her shoulders and the romper was pushed down for the second time that evening. Rey helped him get the easy-wear piece off her arms, leaving everything from her shoulders to her waist covered only by that sheer lace bralette.

She unbuttoned his shirt, slowly, and pushed it off of him. Once his upper body was bare, Rey leaned back to drink him in. His chest and abdomen were broad, with moles scattered about haphazardly. Rey had seen other men with bigger muscles and/or more definition. Hell, she’d once spent several minutes licking a fitness model’s perfect eight pack before sucking him off. But even with that experience, Rey didn’t think she’d ever been so aroused by a man’s body. Ben just looked so sturdy and strong, like he could keep her safe. Like _he_ was safe.

Rey had always preferred women’s bodies to men’s, believing them to be objectively more appealing. They were softer, curvier, more sensual. Her physical and mental reaction to Ben seemed to defy this belief.

“Beautiful,” she muttered aloud before diving down to lick something of Ben’s. Ben laughed and pulled her up. “Me first,” he told her as he grabbed her around the waist and lowered his head to mouth at her tits.

Rey moaned louder than she had all evening. Even through the bralette, it felt so fucking good. She reached down to pull off the layer, desperate to feels Ben’s mouth directly on her skin. When his tongue grazed against her uncovered nipple, Rey keened. “Don’t stop, don’t stop,” she panted. “Use your hand to squeeze the other one.” 

Rey was quite sure Ben didn’t actually need her direction, but she liked feeling like she was in charge.

After giving ample attention to both of the twins, Ben leaned back, pulling Rey on top of him and continuing to worship her breasts. Licking and sucking and nipping playfully. 

“Take off your pants,” Rey commanded. “I want to see you.”

“You too.”

Rey sat up and moved off of Ben. She stripped herself down to nothing and moved back toward Ben on her knees. Ben was kneeling on the mattress as well, totally bare. He pulled her the rest of the way toward him and kissed her desperately.

This time Ben pushed Rey down onto the mattress and hovered above her. He kissed from her lips to her neck to her sternum, mixing in some licks for variety’s sake.

Rey sighed contentedly as he revisited her breasts. Rey thought he could probably make her cum just from this. They would have to try it another time, however, because Ben was already moving lower down her body. Beneath her breasts, her abs, the top of her mound... He skipped right past her aching core, however, to scatter kisses along her inner thigh. 

Rey groaned in frustration and Ben smirked up at her before finally, finally lowering those pouty lips to her pussy. 

Rey had received some excellent oral sex from some very talented women, and one trans man. Ben Solo’s techniques was not better than theirs. But there was something so fucking satisfying about the experience of having this particular man eat her out. 

“You taste so fucking good, Rey,” Ben murmured between tonguing her and licking her slit. “So sweet.”

“Suck on my clit,” she growled at him. “Please.”

Ben complied and Rey blessed him for being so willing to take direction. She was definitely getting off on it.

It wasn’t quick getting Rey to orgasm this way, and at one point Ben started fingering her while sucking her clit, hoping to spur her along. But when he finally got her there, the orgasm seemed to go on forever. Rey keened all the way through it, definitely boosting Ben’s confidence in his abilities and ensuring that she would get to experience this again. Every time Rey thought she was finally done, her body would shiver and twitch with another aftershock.

“God, Ben. That was good. So, so good. Now fuck me.”

“Yes ma’am,” Ben responded, scrambling off the bed and over to his bag for condoms.

“Hey Ben?”

“Rey?”

“Don’t call me ma’am if you ever want to fuck me again.”

“Noted,” he replied, returning to Rey. 

“Here, let me.” He handed her the foil wrapper and she used her teeth to carefully rip it open. Ben kneeled in front of her, and as Rey got ready to roll the rubber down his ample length, she had a chance to scrutinize said length for the first time.

“You have a really pretty dick, Ben.”

“Thank you?”

“I’d like to suck it sometime.” Ben choked. “But not right now. Right now I need you to use it to fuck me, hard.”

“Fuck yes, Rey.”

As soon as she was done putting the condom on him, Ben pushed her down roughly. He loomed over her, eclipsing her with his massive body and lining himself up with her slit.

“I’m so wet, so ready. Do it all at once, okay?”

Instead of responding, Ben grasped his cock with one hand, the other hand supporting him above her, and guided it into her in one slick motion. Rey wondered if Ben had ever been that smooth before. 

She gasped as he bottomed out inside of her. She felt so full. Rey was just on the edge between pleasure and pain and she fucking loved it.

“Can I move?” Ben asked, his voice practically strangled with the effort of staying still and maintaining self-control.

“God, yes.” Rey moaned, and Ben started thrusting.

“Harder.” Rey demanded after just a few paces. Ben groaned, but increased his pace and intensity. Rey lifted her hips to meet his thrusts, back arched attractively. She could feel herself climbing, climbing and Ben’s efforts were almost enough to get her off again. Almost.

“I’m not going to last very long like this and I need you to cum,” Ben told her. He felt so good inside her and she wanted him to know. She kept vocalizing her pleasure, but they both knew she had plateaued. 

Ben made the executive decision to pull out. He flipped her over effortlessly and Rey felt herself get even wetter. He manhandled her onto her hands and knees and penetrated her from behind.

The new angle helped Ben hit Rey deeper, and she felt herself rising again. But Ben wasn’t done. From this position, he could easily reach around her to rub her clit while he continued to thrust roughly into her. After a few more coordinated thrusts and rubs, Rey crashed into her orgasm. “Be-eee-eennnnnn!” she scream-moaned as she felt her pussy clench around his cock over and over again.

“Rey,” he moaned in response, dick twitching within her as he came.

—

When they both came down from their orgasms, they laid side by side. Ben sprinkled kisses all over Rey’s face. She laughed, feeling deliciously boneless and perfectly relaxed. The flood of endorphins swamped her mind.

“Well?” Ben asked teasingly, when he was satisfied with the amount of post-coital kisses he had given her.

“Hmm… yeah. I think that part works,” she said, snuggling into him. “So where are you taking me on our first date?”

 

—

“I was thinking brunch?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone! This was fun. Maybe I will do it again. <3


End file.
